


Searching for Purpose

by Esperanta



Category: Warcraft II, Warcraft III, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 05:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9307856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esperanta/pseuds/Esperanta
Summary: Which life is more worthy of admiration? When you were born good... or when you were made to overcome your darkness through great effort? Everyone deserves a second chance. The question is... how will you use it. Because Light has big plans for all of us. And from time to time, Light needs someone, who won't give in to darkness that easily. And the someone was sir Zeliek.





	

**Author's Note:**

> World of Warcraft always had a story which contains so many minor characters which are sometimes more interesting than the more popular ones. And sometimes, Blizzard creates some character with such tiny lore... and even with three sentense, you can determine: "Wow... this character would be such a bad ass with some care." For me, it was always sir Zeliek. He had only three or four sentences about his character. And I was always so sad and sorry for his unfulfilled potential. When I started to write stories from Azeroth, I knew that I want to write story about him - give him some lore and bigger purpose. And here I am. After 3 years of creating of this story... I decided to translate prologue to English. Because story is in Czech language. And it's a book. A really long book. And it will cost money to translate. But I think Zeliek just deserves it.
> 
> So if you like it and want to see more soon, you can contribute some money for translation.
> 
> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4804129
> 
> Translation: Michaela Bendova  
> Proofreading: Felix Wright

He was woken from unconsciousness by his own scream of agony. He wasn’t woken from this merciful state free of thoughts or dreams. Unconsciousness is empty like a frameless picture, like an eye with no pupil. Surely it is not full of lacerations, wounds way too deep, way too fresh, cut into the very core of the soul.

He was dead. Yet he was imprisoned in his mortal body tied by chains invisible to the eye. Yet he felt pain he wasn’t supposed to feel. The pain had consumed so much of his being that he didn’t feel the tears trickling down his cheeks. He tried to take a breath but his lungs disobeyed their master. Maybe was it for his own good. At least he was spared the stench of decay.

“And yet you still resist,” the voice had spoken. It sounded like an echo, like cracking ice.

Sir Zeliek clenched his fists, the movement born more of defiance than a desire to free himself from the manacles eating into flesh and bone.

“One can lose count of time in here easily,” the voice continued in almost conversational tone.

Over the agony, the paladin forced his mind to focus on the lich’s words. He really had no notion of time. In the dark cell there was no chance to answer this question.

“Two weeks, sir,” the lich answered the question he provoked.

Finally the figure floated out of the darkness, causing the rats to scatter. “Two weeks and yet your soul resists.”

An ashen hand grasped his chin and raised it. Zeliek didn’t turn away when their eyes met. It might have been due to exhaustion, he might simply have been too weak to defy. But those who knew him would be sure that he would be defiant till the end.

“The pain, the suffering... nothing else is left for you. Tell me... is it really worth for your soul to suffer like this?”

The paladin tried to smile, but his lips were too stiff, his muscles twisted by pain.

“Pain... or no pain,” he whispered hardly aloud. “For me... it is more than worth it.” His voice faltered like the voice of someone endlessly screaming for days. He was weak, almost fading, but traces of determination and resistance were still there.

“Are you sure you want to go through this again?” The lich let him go and the paladin’s head flopped to his chest. Sharp talons able to rend any armour left scratches on his chin. “As you wish, Thomas. I have time. Unlike you I have an eternity.”

Zeliek knew the lich would torture him. He knew what was to come. The nightmares would come again followed by the memories he tried so hard to push away. But he could do it. The same way he had until now.

Before the lich’s ashy cold palm touched his forehead the last thoughts flashed through the paladin’s mind. Two single words, two names keeping him alive:

_Sarah! Aneth!_


End file.
